Game Of Thrones Theories That Could Change Everything

Every time we start to think we have a handle on the plot of Game of Thrones, author George R.R. Martin and HBO showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss screw everything up with some crazy new twist. The only way to stay ahead of them? Come up with some even crazier fan theories! Here are some Game of Thrones theories that will have you questioning everything you ever thought you probably didn't actually know.

The most popular fan theory of them all is also the one most likely to be true. Known among fans as R+L=J, this theory isn't actually a subsection of the quadratic equation. Rather, it posits that Ned Stark's beloved sister Lyanna bore Rhaegar Targaryen's love child before she died. Ned then raised the child as his own son, naming him Jon Snow. Mind. Blown.

Jon isn't the only fan favorite whose parentage has been questioned by the fans. Some believe that Tyrion's mother, Joanna Lannister, was raped by the Mad King Aerys Targaryen. Thus the real reason Tyrion's father Tywin hates him so much isn't just that Joanna died giving birth to Tyrion—it's because Tyrion isn't really his son at all. Of course, this makes Tyrion Daenerys' brother and, what with the Targaryen penchant for incest, potential husband and co-ruler, so... yeah, that's creepy.

We know what you're thinking: what the heck is an Azor Ahai? Well, Azor Ahai was a legendary hero revered by the followers of R'hllor, the psychotic god of fire that Melisandre worships. The whole reason she was backing Stannis is because she thought he was the second coming of Azor Ahai. When she tried to use her powers of prophecy to confirm Azor Ahai's identity, though, she saw "only snow," which is why she's totally going to bring Jon back from the dead, since he's the real Azor Ahai!

Of course, Jon isn't the only "Snow" on Game of Thrones. There's also Ramsay Snow. This theory is based on the belief that there has to be some reason why we've been forced to watch Ramsay's sadistic nonsense in such tedious detail over the last five seasons. One justification for all that screen time: he's actually Azor Ahai. And based on what a nutjob Melisandre is, it does makes a lot more sense that R'hllor's "hero" would be a sick puppy like Ramsay rather than a noble dude like Jon.

In Season Five's table setting flashback, young Cersei was on the business end of a rather nasty prophecy claiming that her time as Queen will come to an end when someone younger and more beautiful casts her down and takes all she holds dear. Some fans think the beauty in question isn't Queen Margery or even Daenerys, but rather Brienne of Tarth! After all, Brienne is ironically nicknamed "The Beauty," and she does have an undeniable chemistry with Cersei's one true love, Jamie. How cool would this be?

Remember Syrio Forel, the swordsman who trained Arya Stark before apparently dying to save her in Season One? Fans have been trying for years to figure out a way he could have survived. And the result is this theory: what if "Syrio Forel" is just another fake identity of the Faceless Man? After all, we learned last season that the Faceless Man isn't really "Jaqen H'Ghar" either—and if Syrio was the Faceless Man, it would explain his continued interest in Arya.

Speaking of faceless men, some particularly enterprising fans have advanced the crackpot theory that Roose Bolton is actually an immortal who does all that flaying so he can wear the skin of the dead as a new identity when the old one wears out. This theory also states that Roose is half-Other—you know, one of those blue-eyed things from the North that controls the undead—and that he is grooming Ramsay for the purpose of eventually killing him and assuming his identity. Hey, we said these theories would make you rethink everything. We never promised they would make sense.

While we're on the subject of the Others, remember the Night's King, the mythical leader of the white walkers who faced off against Jon Snow at the end of Season Five? Some fans think he actually is Jon Snow! Or rather, a different Jon Snow; legend has it that the Night King might have been not only a Stark, but also a former commander of the Night's Watch named, according to this theory, Jon Snow. So will our Jon Snow embrace this destiny and rise from the grave to become the new Night's King? We'll see.

Maybe the least likely fan theory floating around concerns the fate of Jon's uncle, Benjen Stark, who went off for a little horse ride in Season One and has never been seen again. Or has he? Some fans think that the reason Danaerys' lover Daario Naharis was recast between Seasons Three and Four is because they needed an actor who looked more like a Stark since Daario actually is Benjen in disguise! We think a better disguise would be a tinfoil hat.